More tourists flocking to Arizona

Arizona is the top-choice travel destination and it’s being reaffirmed once again. According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, new research shows the state’s recovery of both visitor spending and overnight stays outpaced the national average.

Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, joins Horizon to talk about the numbers and what Arizona’s tourism scene looks like.

Research shows that the state is ahead of the national average in post-pandemic tourism recovery. In 2021, Arizona reportedly outpaced the national rate for both visitor spending and overnight stays. Arizona recovered 87% of its 2019 overnight visitor rate and 92% of the 2019 visitor spending rate.

Additionally, overnight visitors spent $23.6 billion across the state of Arizona, which falls just short of the all-time high mark set in 2019 of $25.6 billion. The 2021 data indicates visitors spent $64.7 million per day. 

“It’s no surprise to see droves of people coming to visit our state. Tourism in Arizona directly translates into economic benefits for communities statewide,” said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. “This is a huge testament to the efforts of Director Debbie Johnson, the AOT team and all the hard-working people across Arizona’s tourism industry.” 

Johnson says Arizona’s tourism industry continues to do an outstanding job of marketing our state’s experiences. And while the tourism industry is still working to recover to the levels that it was at in 2019, new research points toward positive growth and recovery in the state for the industry.